


Embers

by J_P_Lupine



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Eventual Smut, F/M, Magic, Old Gods, Pagan Gods, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Reincarnation, Slice of Life, gods reborn, powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:34:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_P_Lupine/pseuds/J_P_Lupine
Summary: Harper and her sister, Lisa, recently moved to a new town and were going to celebrate a successful move with a drink at a local bar. However, unknown to them, this very bar was a common hang-out for reincarnated gods. Their true identities are soon sniffed out and the sisters are thrown into the hunt for Frigg. Harper also can't help but find herself drawn to one god in particular....(Published Date: Nov 12, 2020)
Relationships: Ty Johnson (Almighty Johnsons)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"Yeah, I'm almost there. You got a seat in the back?" I spoke into the phone while briskly walking down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, right under a vent, too. Don't worry, Harper, I know the drill by now." Lisa replied while chuckling. "Want me to go ahead and buy you something?"

"Sure, I'm about to walk in right now. Giant stained glass, right?"

"That's it." And she hung up the phone as I was reaching for the door. Pocketing my cellphone, I briefly glanced over my shoulder before going into the building. Inside smelled like booze, mead, and old wood, and I looked for Lisa. Spotting the tall brunette, I waved to her while smiling.

Going to walk to the table where she was seated with some beers, I passed some man dressed in black that was pale as Death. Now, I wouldn't have really paid him much mind and just gone to Lisa, but I felt unnaturally compelled to look at him. Raising my gaze I ended up locking eyes with him, staring into rather intensely blue eyes.

It was surreal how all noise in the bar began to fade while the room seemed to pitch and sway, but the man remained the only thing still in focus. There was a twinge in my chest and a pull in my gut that I didn't fully understand.

We both stopped, standing there by the front door while just staring at each other. His scent was like fresh snow and a soft, winter breeze, and there was no way in Hel this man was mortal with how he brought a slight chill to my skin.

He was a god.

A powerful one at that, but I was pulled out of my trance as he was being dragged away by someone else. However, I couldn't take my eyes off of him until he was no longer in sight. I actually had goosebumps from the encounter and now I was wondering just what god he was and if there were more....

"What was that about?" Lisa asked as I sat across from her. She brought her beer to her lips, and I grabbed my own to take a chug.

"Nothing." I took another drink. "Just some god."

"Just some god?" She smirked while raising her brow. "Think he might be Logi?" The brunette then wiggled her eyebrows, making me scoff.

"Please, you know the end to that story."

"You never know." She shrugged. "Maybe the stories were wrong...."

"I'd like to take the word of that oracle and my gut feeling over the slight doubt you possess."

"Just be prepared for the unexpected, Harper."

"The unexpected would be me freezing to death." I chuckled.

Going to the bar again the following night, I sat on a stool next to Lisa, laughing about some dumb thing that had happened at work when we both suddenly stopped. I paused, furrowing my brows as I tried to verify what I was hearing and feeling. Quickly turning around, I caught a _very_ tall and _very_ handsome man looking _very_ confused while sniffing me.

"Olaf, what have I told you about sniffing people?" The bartender said rather calmly as he wiped down a glass. The tall, bald man that had been called Olaf leaned over the bar and even gave Lisa a quick smell as his brows furrowed further.

"They're goddesses." He popped off. "Well, _she_ definitely is, this one smells kind of off." The bald man spoke low, causing the bartender to stop what he was doing and look at us. Lisa and I glanced at each other with wide eyes and looked back at the bald man.

"Gods...." Lisa mumbled, and the bartender looked around before leaning on the bar. Mortals weren't seated close enough to hear as he spoke low.

"Seeing as we now have no choice," He gave a pointed look at Olaf. "I need to ask why you're here."

"Drinks, man, drinks." Lisa downed the rest of her glass. "And boy, do I need more."

~

"Is it the usual custom to do this?" Lisa questioned as we sat in the now empty bar. After the bald man had literally sniffed out how we weren't mortal, it also came up how we had recently moved here from the town over. That little fact came to light after someone else, another goddess no less, showed up. This town seemed infested with our kind already....

"We just like to know when we have new sisters in town." A tall, dark-haired woman smirked while sitting at the bar.

"Or enemies." The shortest male popped off before drinking from a bottle of beer.

"I'm still confused about why you smell so....weird." Olaf was still giving me a strange look while crossing his arms.

"And I'm still confused about why you were smelling me." I said over my glass while eyeballing him.

"I have a strong nose, but I had to be sure, of course."

"So, uh....what goddesses are you guys?" The other tallest male, a brunette, asked while giving a nervous smile.

"First of all, how do we know you guys are legit?" Lisa pointed.

"Well, for one, I'm 92." Olaf raised his brows. "I am the god of beauty and rebirth, Baldr."

"I'm Anders, and the god of poetry, Bragi." The shortest male spun in his chair to look at us. "That there grumpy old man is Mike, or Ullr, god of hunt and skill."

"I think I am capable of introducing myself, but thanks." The bartender popped off.

"Um, Axl." The tallest brunette softly waved. "And I'm Odin." Lisa spit out her drink.

"You got to be shittin' me."

"No, he's actually Odin." Olaf pointed. "Would either of you happen to be Frigg?"

"....No." I gave him a weird look before grabbing a piece of ice from my drink that had yet to melt and popped it into my mouth.

"Oh, well, I'm Ingrid." The older woman gently smiled at us. "Goddess of prudence and wisdom, Snotra."

"This feels like an AA meeting but for gods." Lisa chuckled. "I guess it's our turn?"

"Oh, look who it is! Ty, finally showing up, I see."

"I'm sorry I'm late, Eva was just-" The man that had just walked in trailed off as he looked at me and I vaguely heard Olaf talking.

"By the way, he's Hodr, the god of winter and darkness." The bald man explained.

"You can call me Lisa, I'm Nott reborn, goddess of night. This is actually my sister...." She stopped talking to let me introduce myself, but I was already lost in those deep, blue eyes again. She hit me with her elbow, breaking the trance and I cleared my throat.

"Harper." I stated while looking away from the very pale man. "Glod."

"Excuse me, Glod?" The woman that had introduced herself earlier as Michele gave me a funny look.

"That explains the smell." Olaf nodded while rubbing his chin.

"Smell?" Ingrid had a confused expression on her face.

"Glod isn't a full goddess, not technically."

"A demigoddess?"

"Not really that, either." Olaf shook his head. Since he seemed to know about the deity I embodied, I just drank while looking at the ceiling. "Glod is daughter to Grimr, or Odin as we prefer, and Alvor, a light elf. A queen that was married to a fire giant, Logi."

"How weird is it to have a kid older than you?" Anders smirked while smacking Axl's arm playfully.

"No weirder than having a grandpa that looks about my age." The boy replied with raised eyebrows.

"Hold it, _was_ married?" Michele pointed.

"From the knowledge passed down to me, it is believed they divorced shortly before the gods all left Asgard."

"And hopefully the bastard didn't follow." I popped off under my breath, but everyone heard.

"Well, despite being a giant he was still a god, so....who knows." That comment was followed by a shrug.

"What, exactly, is Glod goddess of then?"

"Her powers are somewhat similar to Loki and Logi's. She is the goddess of fire and embers."

"Which, at this very moment, are colliding with Hodr's and Jesus Christ, open the windows." I looked over to see Lisa fanning herself with her hands, getting rather sweaty from the rising humidity in the room.

"Sorry!" I cringed, taking a few steps away to a table in the back corner. Sitting under the A/C vent, I finished off my now warm drink. The ice never lasted long in my hands....


	2. Chapter 2

"You look like Hel." I plopped down next to the man that seemed on the brink of death.

"Well, she's my wife." He said harshly over his whisky.

"What?"

"Hel. She's my wife."

"Oh, shit." I shook my head. "You married _Hel_? What kind of idiot are you?"

"Long story." Ty had been glaring at the wall straight in front of him before rolling his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just curious as to why you look like you've been fucking with Death. Now I know that you actually have." I tilted my head while taking a sip from my mead. It had a sweet taste to it- most other bars didn't carry it even though it was rather good, though knowing who owned the place it made sense for it to be here.

"Funny." He said dryly. "Where's your- what was she again? Sister?"

"Late shift." I simply replied. There was a moment of silence as we drank, but when I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, I saw him looking at me in return. "....You feel it too?"

"It's strange." He mumbled.

"Wanna test it?"

"....How?"

"Give me your hand." I twisted in my seat to face him. Ty was hesitant but faced me in return while holding up his hand. Glancing between his face and his open palm, I raised my own. Holding my hand close to his, I felt a slight chill and a shock of excitement.

Putting my palm flat against his, I felt my lips quirk up.

"It's cold...." I chuckled. "I haven't felt cold since...."

"Neither have I....but I haven't felt warmth either...." His voice went low as he looked at our hands. His brows then furrowed after a second. "You're not freezing?"

"Is that a common occurrence?"

"It is when they touch me this long."

"Oh." I dropped my gaze, clearing my throat before I spoke again. "What about Hel? I mean, how does that work if you're married?"

"Things are different when you rule the underworld, I guess." Looking back to his face, I saw a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "I can actually feel the heat of your skin." He softly laughed, but then made a face while looking at me. "That sounded less weird in my head, please don't think I'm some creep."

"No, I understand." Chuckling, I gently took his hand into both of mine, looking it over and running my fingers over his cool skin. "I tend to burn after a while, too. Honestly, the only time I can touch someone is if they're visiting from the tropics, but even then it's only for a short period of time."

"The tropics?"

"They're used to warmer temperatures." I explained. "Gods, this is so wild." I smiled, forgetting about my drink while actually experiencing the slight cold touch of his skin. It had been around seven or eight years now since I had felt something other than the constant warmth of Glod. "Would Hel approve of me touching your hand like this?" I joked.

"....No, actually." He awkwardly shifted in his seat, making me pause and really look at him again.

"....So she's that kind of wife. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Your name is Harper, isn't it?"

"Yeah." I answered Ty, but he paused again.

"I'd like to talk to you again."

"Same here. Ah, but with you, not with myself. I wouldn't like to talk to myself again." Waving my hand, Ty smiled, showing his dimples and making my heart flutter. The man was nice on the eyes despite his sickly complexion.

"And what, may I ask, are you two kids doing?" Olaf leaned onto the bar between us, standing behind the counter.

"Exploring the extent of opposing forces." I popped off.

"Ah, so the fire feels the winter and ice feels the heat." He gave a knowing nod. "It must be rather strange to feel such things again after so many years." He drank straight from the bottle of mead while looking at our hands. "Hodr makes everything too cold for Ty to taste, does Glod do something like that to you?" The bald man furrowed his brows while pointing at me.

"It's not that extreme. There's just a slight burnt taste if I chew too long, so I just tend to stay away from chewy or gummy foods.

"Interesting...."

"Can you really not taste?" I gave Ty a look. His jaw clenched and he pulled his hand away from me.

"I can't do a lot of things." He seemed to turn sour while lifting his glass to his lips.

"....Can you fuck?" He nearly choked on his drink as I spun in my seat to gesture for Olaf to top off my glass. "Because I can't. Not unless it's another god, and hardly even then. Everyone that tries gets burned or things get set on fire."

"Harsh." The taller man furrowed his brows while pouring my drink and filled it more than before.

"But can you?"

"....I can."

"I don't want to come off as rude, but people can bundle up to be around you if need be, but with me....it can be like standing right next to a campfire. Or lava, depending on my mood."

"Your emotions go out of wack, do you turn the room into the arctic? Probably not."

"Oh, you want an upsetting shit contest, huh?" I smirked. "I set shit on fire. I get angry or upset or anything? Better call the fire department or keep an extinguisher on hand."

"You can taste food."

"You can make love, fuck, and cuddle."

"I think she's got you beat, Ty." Olaf tilted his head.

"There are ways to avoid the winter, my new friend, however, the fire is a driving, destructive force."

"So is a blizzard."

"Okay, you two, stop comparing cocks and just come to terms that you both have equally shitty gods. Well, _god_ and _goddess_." Anders popped off while walking over.

"Anders! Welcome!" Olaf greeting the man that sat next to Ty. "What'll it be?"

"Just a beer."

"We were not comparing cocks."

"Oh, right, one of you doesn't even have one. Sorry, seems Harper has you beat by default, her cock must be massive." Anders chuckled.

"Leave my cock out of this, please."

"....You actually-"

"No." I gave a short laugh.

"Oh. So where's Mrs. Death herself? Off killing something else by slowly sucking the life from it?" Anders questioned.

"Shut up, Anders." Ty nearly growled while shooting the man a glare before finishing off his glass. Olaf grabbed a bottle to refill Ty's drink and pour his own. As the bald man set the bottle of booze back onto the shelf, it felt like the atmosphere in the bar changed and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

"Yes, shut up Anders." I heard a sickeningly sweet voice while seeing arms wrap around Ty. Glancing, I saw an ivory-skinned woman with long, dark hair and dark makeup around her eyes. "And who are you? One of his?" Her eyes went from me to Olaf.

"No." My voice came out flat as I sensed some serious power from her.

"But she is one of us." Anders gestured to me with his bottle.

"Us? A goddess, huh?" She smirked while looking at me, seemingly sizing me up. "Which one?"

"Glod." Olaf answered, raising his eyebrows. "Goddess of fire and embers. Rather powerful, too."

"Powerful? How interesting...." She slipped between Ty and I, leaning onto the bar while looking me in the eye. "I'm Eva, or-"

"Hel. I know." I cut her off, keeping my gaze on her. I already didn't like her and her goddess soul had nothing to do with it. There was just something off about _her_.

"Oh, how? Was Ty talking about me?"

"Briefly. But I knew because of the foul smell and the sense of danger." Being brutally honest, I heard Anders snort.

" _Smell_?" He chuckled while Eva's smile faltered.

"Like someone drowned in perfume with a pinch of rotting carcass." I brought my glass to my lips, but I quickly jerked it away from the foul smell that came from my drink. "I was drinking that." Setting the cup down, I saw the mold and rot in the glass.

"Sorry, it just happens sometimes." Eva forced on a smile. "Ty, let's go." Her face fell as she turned to the man still drinking. Olaf sort of cringed as he slid my glass away and dumped the contents.

"Hold on," I tilted my head, but I couldn't figure out why I had spoken up and quickly had to make an excuse. "Ty was in the middle of telling me about....how he makes cupcakes."

"How he makes _cupcakes_? He doesn't make _cupcakes_." Eva scoffed.

"You mean he doesn't make any for you? Pity, I hear they're rather good." I popped off.

"From who?"

"Him."

"Yeah, well, Ty _doesn't_ make cupcakes, so _we're_ leaving." She literally yanked the man out of his seat and gave me a deadly glare. "And he's mine, you got that? Stay away from him." Eva placed her hand onto my arm and the fabric of my shirt decayed.

It was only a reflex, a mere survival instinct, but I set the arm touching me on fire. Olaf must have sensed something coming because only a second after her sleeve burst into flames he was spraying it down with water.

"Shit!" I hissed, quickly getting out of my seat. "Fuck...." Feeling eyes in our direction, I could also feel the heat of Eva's glare.

"You burned me!" She shrieked. "You crazy bitch!" I didn't expect what happened next to actually happen, but she swung her hand to slap me. Catching her wrist before her strike landed, her eyes went wide with shock.

"Ladies, please, not here or now." Olaf said lowly, almost only speaking above a whisper.

"Is this as hot as it gets? The brand was worse." Eva snarled and that's when I realized I was burning her wrist. Snatching my hand away, I felt overwhelmed, knowing that I was being watched by drunken mortals and gods. Seeing how I had lost control not once, but twice in less than a minute, I knew I had to calm down.

I saw a first degree burn on her skin in the shape of my hand and I felt disgusted. Glod had her uses, but burning people or things made me sick to my stomach.

"I'm sorry, I- I have to go." I quickly backed away, not looking at anything other than her burns that ranged from first to second degree. "I'm-" Turning away, I covered my mouth with my hand and left the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

"You- there you are. Come with me." I jolted when I heard a man's voice and I looked up from my morning coffee to see a man leaving my sister's room while buttoning up his shirt.

"Excuse me?"

"I thought I was rather clear, I said 'come with me'. Do you have something in your ears?" Olaf furrowed his brows at me like I was an idiot.

"I was a bit boggled by the fact that you're leaving my sister's bedroom and then demanding that I follow you." I replied.

"Well, I wasn't aware you lived with your sister but this saves me time. So, it'd be wise to quickly get changed and put your shoes on, unless you don't mind leaving in that."

"What makes you think I'd go _anywhere_ with you?" One of my eyebrows quirked up as I sipped some of my coffee.

"You clicked with Ty, so I'd like you to do some friend stuff with him. He can't seem to get over Eva." Olaf popped off.

"They divorce? I thought that would make him happy."

"You didn't hear? Hel's dead."

"What?"

"Dead. Are you sure you don't have hearing problems?" Olaf gave me a strange look.

"Okay, but what do you mean _dead_? She was fine just-"

"It's all rather complicated, but I think he could use some warmth in his life- metaphorically and literally." He plucked an apple from the bowl on the counter and bit into it. "Don't worry, you had nothing to do with it, she wasn't burned at all. Well, not until her funeral anyway." Olaf explained after seeing my face.

"So, friend stuff? Want me to take him to an arcade or something?" I questioned.

"Sure. Whatever, really." The man nodded as he sat on a stool by the bar counter. "You know he likes ice carving, right?"

"I'm aware, Axl mentioned it in passing. Though I haven't seen any."

"He stopped after marrying Eva." Olaf took another bite, staring off into space like he was thinking. "He made the most beautiful angels...."

~

It was quiet between Ty and I as we stared at each other for a second. Narrowing my eyes, I raised the ball in my hand.

"Loser buys dinner?"

"Skee ball? Really?" Ty raised a brow at me.

"Yes, really. Now, you up to the challenge or not?" Gently tossing up the ball, I caught it and pointed at the pale man. "I don't usually order expensive stuff, but I'll make an exception this time since it's out of your pocket."

"I thought you said loser pays." Ty seemed to relax a bit while picking up a skee ball.

"I did, and that's you." Smirking, I glanced at him while turning to face the machine with the rubber circles and scores.

"We'll see about that."

"We will." Sending the ball rolling up the ramp, our match began. The longer we played, the more Ty loosened up. By the middle of the second match, the man was even laughing. His pearly whites and dimples were heart-warming, and those blue eyes glittered in the arcade lighting as bells and laughter filled the air.

"Yes, can I get....8 cheeseburgers, no mustard, no pickles, a small fry, and a medium...."

"Root beer."

"A medium root beer."

"Will that be all?" The voice in the speaker questioned.

"No, that was just hers." Ty sighed as he was leaning out of the car window. Shaking his head, he then ordered his own food while I was chuckling in the passenger seat. "Do you really need _8_ cheeseburgers, though? I mean.... _seriously?_ " The man turned to give me a look before driving to the first window.

"The constant heat burns a lot of calories in this mortal body. I need fuel for the fire, Ty." I answered.

"But _8?_ "

"Yes, _8_. And fries and a drink." I pointed. "All of which you are paying for, my losing friend."

"Don't need to remind me." He said under his breath while digging out his wallet from his pocket to hand the woman at the window his card. It only took a few seconds before he got it back along with a receipt, and we moved to the second window to get our food.

After eating, we went to a corner store to grab a few six-packs of beer and went back to his place to hang out. Whenever we hung out before, it'd be at Mike's bar, so this was the first time I was actually seeing his house. I was pretty sure the reason for that was because of what had happened between Eva and I....

"Can you believe this? Who in their right mind puts that much butter into a cake?" My brows furrowed as I gestured to the laptop with the beer in my hand.

"They do, apparently."

"Also, who doesn't have a TV?"

"Me, apparently." Ty chuckled as the next video autoplayed on YouTube. We had somehow ended up watching cooking and baking fails.

"....I bet you've been asked this a lot, but....are you okay?" I questioned. The male let out a sigh through his nose as his shoulders sort of slumped.

"I don't know." His voice was low as he slouched against the back of the couch. "It's....very confusing."

"All right. That's all I needed to know." I pat his knee while hopping to my feet. "Now show me what this big ass metal room is." Carrying my beer, I walked around the coffee table and went towards the large, metallic door.

"It's like a giant freezer." Ty hesitated before following after me, grabbing the other beers. Opening the door, I knew it was supposed to be cold inside, I could smell it, but I didn't feel it at all. "I usually store blocks of ice in here."

"For your sculptures?"

"You know about that?"

"Heard about it." I took a drink while standing in front of the table with a sizeable chunk of ice on it. "Why'd you stop?"

"Heard about that too, huh?" Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him plop down by the door and lean against the wall while opening another beer.

"I did." Turning back, I reached out to touch the ice on a child-like impulse. I felt nothing, but the ice began to melt where I had placed my fingers. "Oops...."

"Don't worry about it." Ty sighed. "It's been sitting in here for ages, go ahead and melt the whole thing for all I care."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"All right then." I set down my beer and popped my knuckles. Quickly standing up the ice block, I pulled the bandanna from my pocket and used it to put back my hair. "Pick an animal."

"Why?"

"Pick."

"Owl."

"Perfect." And I placed my palms onto the ice, melting it to a basic shape. The water dripped to the table as I molded the block like it were wet clay. I burned my fingers through the ice with ease and I found this much easier than working with metal like I usually did with my job.

~

I must have lost track of time because, by the time I was using my pinkie to add the finishing touches on the ice sculpture with my shirt tied around my waist, someone was knocking on the front door. Snapping out of my focus, I wiped my wet hands off onto my jeans and stepped over the passed out Ty with beer bottles scattered about him.

"Coming!" I called out while walking to the door. Unlocking and opening it, I saw Olaf looking down at me. His eyebrows rose on his forehead as I was momentarily blinded by the sunlight. "Yeah?"

"Usually when one rushes to dress, they don't tend to tie their shirt around their waist." His brows knit together as he tilted his head. "Or tie their shoes."

"Why would I rush to dress?" I let the confusion show plainly on my face.

"....I assumed that with you being here this early in the morning indicated that you and Ty had-"

"Stop! We most definitely did _not_." I raised my hand.

"Really? Huh.... Why are you here then?" Olaf gave me a look.

"Came here to hang out, drank beers, Ty passed out, and I stayed." I stepped back to let Olaf inside, closing the door after he entered Ty's house.

"So....where is he?"

"Ice room." Locking the door back, I followed Olaf to the large metal room, peeking around him when he stopped in the doorway. Ty was awake now, running his hands over the frozen owl sculpture as if he were admiring it. His cold touch stopped the melting my hands had caused, and the bird looked magnificent with its outstretched wings and brandished talons.

"Wow, Ty, that looks great. Someone didn't want the usual angel?" Olaf asked while looking at his grandson.

"No, I didn't do this." Ty mumbled, then looked back, gaining a soft smile as he saw me. "Harper did."

"Harper did? Impressive." Olaf nodded. "And what, exactly, is your job again?"

"Welding." Untying my shirt, I slipped it back on over my arms. "I mostly do work on vehicles, but some businesses and artists have me work on sculptures for them."

"Welding?" Olaf chuckled. "How smart. You know, since you're like a physical manifestation of fire and all. Do you actually use the thingy or just your bare hands?" The bald man pulled a hand from his pocket and opened and closed his fist as a gesture. I just looked at him flatly yet vaguely like he were an idiot.

"You mean do I use a _welder_ or my _godly powers_ in front of humans?"

"....Right."


	4. Chapter 4

Grumbling under my breath, I pulled my backpack out from the back seat of my car and slung it onto my shoulder. Locking up my car, I walked up to the front door and knocked. A familiar bald man answered the door.

"Why does it feel like I see you _everywhere_ now?" I asked as Olaf let me inside.

"Coincidence?" He shrugged.

"Harper!" I looked over and saw Ingrid and Stacy drinking wine on one of the couches. "What brings you here?"

"Lisa decided to get her freak on at the apartment and I needed somewhere quiet to get some work done. Here was my first thought." I replied.

"Wise choice- it's usually near-silent here."

"Except for when Eva and her emos were running amok." Stacy popped off, her voice low over her drink.

"Where's Ty by the way?" I asked after glancing around.

"In the freezer room thingy." The older woman pointed and I began to walk over. "Ah, but he's having a private chat with-" Ingrid was too slow in telling me and I had the door opened already. A tall, blonde woman turned to look at me with a surprised expression while she was shivering from the cold. Ty was leaning on the table and wall where a tall angel was being sculpted.

"....What the fuck happened to you?" I rose my brows while looking at the blonde.

"What do you mean?" The woman gave me a slightly confused look.

"You have tits, Axl, I don't believe that's the most normal thing."

"You know it's me? Who told you?"

"No, I just have this thing where I can sense gods. I think it might be a light elf thing or something, I'm not entirely sure. But seriously, what happened?" I furrowed my brows while still having to literally look up at Axl even if he was a woman now.

"I fell asleep with a damn dress on." She said bitterly.

"What are you doing here, Harper?" Ty looked at me.

"Needed a place to get some work done since my place is overrun by Lisa and her hormones. Hope you don't mind."

"No, it's fine." He shook his head while softly smiling. "You can come over any time."

"Cool." I grinned. "Then I'll leave you two be." Closing the door back to give them their privacy, I turned around and dropped my bag onto the dining table. Unzipping the bag, I pulled out a laptop, a notebook, and a pen. Digging my phone out of my pocket, I set to work on getting appointments set and verified.

"Hi, yes, this is Harper Jensen, I was calling to confirm that you wanted a welder on Friday. I have an email with this number requesting for me to come in and work on repairing a few doors, is that correct?" I grabbed the pen and let it hover over the notebook as I waited for their reply.

It seemed my call had piqued some interest as the other three were looking right at me.

"She sounds so professional." Ingrid mumbled before giggling. "I didn't know she fixed doors."

"No, she welds. You know, melts metal together and stuff." Olaf corrected.

"With her bare hands or with the machine?" Stacy asked, making me roll my eyes.

"Great, and what time would be best for me to come in?" I spoke into the phone, scribbling down notes onto the lined paper. "Perfect, I'll see you then." Hanging up, I scrolled to the next email on the laptop and called the next number.

"We need to move." Axl came storming out just as I was finishing the fifth call.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me that." The blonde snapped.

"Now we go to her place?" Olaf asked as he was getting up from the couch.

"One more stop." Axl opened the front door and held it open for the older male.

"Drink?" Ingrid asked Ty as he came out while on his phone.

"No. No, thanks. I've gotta get ready to go out." Ty answered.

"The kitchen will be tidy by the time you get back." The woman smiled while refilling Stacy's glass. "Promise." The dark-haired male just waved over his shoulder while going to his room. He came back out not too long after dressed in all black, and I couldn't help but watch his ass as he walked by.

"Yes, I'm free at 2 o'clock on Monday." I said clearly into my phone.

~

"Hey! Here he is!" Olaf grinned as Ty came in.

"Ty, are you okay?" Ingrid asked while laying on the blue couch. Stacy was on the black couch, and Olaf was in the armchair while I was just sitting on the floor.

"Sort of. Why?"

"She's trying to tell you that we're here for you." Stacy slurred as she set her glass down.

"I can see that. And you've brought stuff." Ty glanced to the boxes and things stacked against the wall.

"Well, that's Ingrid's. We didn't think it was safe in her car." Olaf held his joint between his fingers as he held the taxidermy animal with sunglasses on it.

"It keeps getting towed away. It's freakish." Ingrid sat up.

"It's a shitheap with no warrant or registration." Stacy cracked up. "Might have something to do with that."

"So we brought the stuff in to be on the safe side." The bald man put his weed to his lips and inhaled.

"Also, she is in no state to drive."

"Not that there's anywhere to drive to. Bastard landlords. Harper, could you pass the bottle?"

"Which one?" I chuckled.

"The one you're not cuddling."

"Do you need somewhere to stay, Ingrid?" Ty questioned.

"No, I'm fine." The older woman waved her hand.

"For the night. Or two." Olaf piped in.

"As long as you're okay with it."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!" Popping the 'p' as I laid back on the floor, I poked Ty's shoe. "You're too nice to throw a lady out into the cold."

"And it's not like she's going anywhere any time soon." Stacy pointed out while the man dressed in black looked down at me.

"Would you like a drink?" I asked him, shaking the bottle I had while smiling. He looked away and began walking toward the kitchen.

"Would anyone like food?" He spoke clearly.

"Ooh, that's an idea."

"Fuck, yeah."

"Oh, you know me, grandson."

"Don't burn it!" I swung my arm towards the kitchen. "Oh, wait, that's my problem." I laughed while rolling over on the floor.

~

"Harper! Wake up! Harper!" I felt someone shaking my shoulders and I jolted awake. An awful smell attacked my senses along with a blaring alarm, causing my drunken head to pound. Groaning as I held my head, I then heard the familiar sound of a fire extinguisher.

I paused before slowly looking over my shoulder. Olaf was spraying the white foam onto the table covered in wine bottles, glasses, and the little candelabra was a melted mess in the center of it all. My face fell as I already knew what had happened.

"I'm sorry...." I mumbled, scrambling to my feet as Olaf huffed and fell back into the armchair.

"No, we should have put out the candles with a fire goddess drunk in the same room." Ingrid slurred, still being rather intoxicated.

"No, no, I shouldn't have even gotten drunk here. I know better, it's my fault." Rubbing my hands over my face to try and wake up more, I stumbled to the table in the dining room area. "I'm sorry."

"Wait, hold it. What are you doing?" Ty furrowed his brows as I was shoving my things into my backpack.

"Going home."

"No you're not, you've been drinking."

"I'll be fine. I can walk."

"Harper, don't be ridiculous. It's late and you're still under the influence." Olaf waved his hand. "It was just a little fire, no real harm done."

"Not yet, anyway." I said lowly, quickly heading to the door.

"Harper," Ty stopped me by grabbing my arm. "it's okay. We have the extinguishers and the alarms, it'll be fine." He spoke softly, and Ingrid and Stacy had already passed out again while Olaf was getting comfortable in the chair.

"Yeah, listen to him. He's sober."

"Thank you, grandpa." Ty eased my bag off of my shoulder. "....I thought you couldn't get cold? You're shaking...." The man looked confused while taking a step back, but then he must have realized it wasn't because of him when he looked into my eyes. "....Come on." He gently grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

He led me to the kitchen and searched for something. I was a bit puzzled when he handed me a mug and poured some water into it. He did a little more searching and then dropped a tea bag into it. I guess he could feel the heat my stress was causing me to give off because he didn't even bother to put hot water into the mug.

Cupping the drink in my hands, the water began to heat and turn to tea as Ty simply stood in front of me and watched.

"That's quite handy if the power was out." He chuckled. "Now, drink that and relax. I promise you, everything is okay." The blue-eyed man pulled the tea bag from my mug and sat me down at the table. "Whenever I had nightmares, I'd sit up and drink some tea before trying to go back to sleep. Of course, it's not as effective now since I can't taste anything, but it still sort of works."

"....Thank you." I mumbled, sipping from the mug.

"No problem." He rubbed a hand onto my upper back in a comforting manner as I drank. I was glad he hadn't asked about the nightmare that had caused the fire, and I was also glad that he had fire alarms installed in his house.

We just sat there in silence for a while, and when my mug was empty, Ty took it to the sink and rinsed it out. I could hear the three in the living room snoring, Olaf being the loudest of the trio, and nervously rubbed my hands together. I had no doubt that Ty understood my position and how I felt about the situation, he more than likely had similar experiences with his opposing elemental god.

"All right, now come with me." He was almost motherly with how gently he took my hands into his own. His palms were cool and rough from his work, and he lead me away from the living room. "I don't want you sleeping on the floor." Ty stated before opening his bedroom door.

Making sure I was comfortable in his bed, he was going to leave right after, but I grabbed his wrist. I averted my gaze as he looked back at me with a raised brow.

"I know this may sound weird, but I'd feel better if you stayed." I mumbled.

"....Why?"

"Because Hodr can put out Glod's flames if need be." I answered, and he just gave a small, understanding nod. He crawled into the bed on the other side and we laid back to back. "Thanks, Ty...." I whispered in the quiet room.

"No problem." He replied.

"I'm glad I met you...." My eyes were drooping now, and I actually felt like I could close my eyes without fearing another nightmare might strike as I slept.

"....Me, too."

~

The chill I felt as I was waking up was what reminded me of last night. Sighing through my nose as I blinked the sleep from my eyes, it was as I was rubbing the drool from my cheek that I realized I was no longer on the edge of the bed like I was last night and was instead smack dab in the middle with Ty. His chin was resting on the top of my head, and his left arm was draped over my side while his right arm was under his own head. Our legs were tangled together, and I felt the heat rise a little bit in my cheeks.

This predicament may be comfortable, but it was rather _embarrassing_.

However....it felt incredible that he wasn't burning like everyone else would be at this point. Hodr may be a curse to Ty, but to me....he was a blessing. I could be around Ty and just hang out with him without fearing giving him first, second, or even third-degree burns. I could easily shake his hand, express my frustrations of the day to him, I could be _normal_ with him. Hodr made it damn near impossible for Ty to even feel warmth, and because of it, my heat had little to no effect on him.

"Ty...." I pat the man's chest to wake him up. "Ty!" The man just sleepily groaned. "Dude, wake up."

"What?" Feeling the vibrations of his voice on my head, I just waited for a second to let him realize on his own the position we were in. "Oh, shit! Sorry!" The man flew back, moving too fast and causing himself to fall off the bed. I laughed as he cursed and his legs were the only thing left on the mattress.

"You okay?"

"Fine." Ty replied flatly before he managed to get to his feet.

"I think I'm gonna go get donuts, you want any?" I questioned while climbing out of the bed.

"No thanks, I think I'll go for my morning run."

"Don't forget to stretch first or you might pull something." Pointing at him, I narrowed my eyes while trying to lighten the mood. "Seriously, it's not fun." I left the room to search for my shoes in the living room. Olaf and Ingrid were gone, but Stacy was still passed out on the couch.


	5. Chapter 5

"You need to get laid." I nearly choked on my water as I looked at my sister with bug-eyes.

"What?"

"You need to get laid." She pulled her toast from the toaster and dropped it onto her plate. "I know you get a bit too.... 'heated', but there's plenty of gods here. You're a goddess, Harper, you have certain needs more so than a mere mortal woman." Lisa opened the butter and grabbed a knife.

"Yes, and then I go and burn a god, and then there's the drama that follows. They play with fire thinking they won't get burned, but that's exactly what they get." I rolled my eyes.

"Not Ty." And I nearly choked again. "What? You can't tell me you haven't thought about it. He's handsome, fit, has a tight ass-"

"Lisa!"

"Oh my gods, you like him!" Lisa lit up as she grinned at me.

"He's my friend, of course I like him."

"No, you know what I mean. I approve, he's a sweet guy....when he's not all depressing." She waved the butter knife before going back to buttering her toast.

"He's just a friend." I stated, hopping up to sit on the counter.

"A friend that you want to strip down and go to town on."

" _Lisa!_ " I gave her a look and she just laughed.

"Do you think he's vanilla or into some kinky stuff?"

"Oh, my- Why?!"

"Because he looks like he could be either. Though, I'm leaning more towards kinky- gods tend to be. Now, does he like being tied up, the one to tie others up, or both?"

"I'm leaving. This conversation is over." Sliding off of the counter, I stole a piece of her toast as I passed.

"What if he has a secret BDSM dungeon? You know, like a wall of ropes and paddles and chains?"

"I'm out!" I walked faster towards the front door.

"Wait, do you think he's the type to just bend you over and spank you or give warnings first?" Lisa shouted.

"Goodbye!" I yelled back before slamming the door shut.

~

"Who are you?" An older woman that was definitely _not_ Ingrid answered the door. She had short, dark hair and was dressed like a businesswoman.

"....Harper....and you are?"

"Agnetha." She kind of smirked. "What are you doing here?"

"Is Ty home?" I questioned rather than answering her.

"He is. But again, why are _you_ here?"

"I'm dragging Mr. Gloomy to do some archery." I replied, and her eyebrow quirked up a fraction. "He's been under a lot of stress lately. I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?"

"I'm his mother."

"Who's at the door?" Ty said as he came into view. "Harper! What are you- ....That was today?" His smile fell as it dawned on him and he sort of cringed. "I don't know if I can go today, there's a bit of....god trouble."

"You're a goddess?" Agnetha looked me up and down.

"Glod." I nodded while sliding my hands into my back pockets. "Um, goddess of-"

"I am aware of who Glod is. Daughter of Odin in Jotunheimr and Alvor of Alfheimr."

"Oh....good. Then no explanation needed." I slightly chuckled. "So this god trouble, anything I can help with?"

"No-"

"Yes." Agnetha cut Ty off while shifting on her feet and smiling. "Do you know anything about Loki?"

"Mythology-wise or Colin-wise?"

"So you know Colin?"

"I've heard stories- What the fuck happened to your hand?" My gaze dropped to Ty's wrapped up hand as my brows furrowed.

"Oh, uh-"

"Colin tried to burn him alive while he slept." Agnetha popped off and the doormat burst into flames. Ty sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose, and the fire was smothered as the doormat was covered in ice.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right...." I tilted my head. "Did you say Colin tried to kill Ty in his sleep?"

"Yes, set fire to his bed. Luckily he had alarms-" The older woman trailed off as the plant by the door caught fire and began to spread to the grass.

"Oh, fuck! Shit, shit, shit, shit!" I cursed while trying to stomp out the fire. "Sorry!" Extinguishing the blaze with my heavy boots, I then looked to Ty and Agnetha. "Um....we can just reschedule the archery thing. I, uh, just remembered something I have to take care of as well." I put on a smile while waving to a confused Ty and grinning Agnetha, then left.

~

"You son of a bitch!" I shouted while kicking in the door. "Where are you, you fucking prick?!"

"Who the _Hel_ are you?" A middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair stepped into view and looked to his caved-in door. "You're paying for that." He pointed.

"Colin, you may want to run." Michele calmly said while leaning over the rails on the stairs to look at me.

"And why would I do that?"

"Meet Glod, Ty's best friend." She smirked as I balled my hands into fists.

"What kind of name is Glod?" Colin scoffed, and my hair burst into flames from the pure rage I felt.

"Sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Glod, goddess of fire and embers. _Nice to meet you._ " I nearly growled, grabbing the doorknob and melting it off of the door before throwing it right at Colin. The man barely ducked the glowing metal, and it smashed against the wall, singing it black.

"Fuck, woman! You nearly killed me!"

"That's the point."

"Okay, now what is this about? Did little Ty come crying to you about something I may or may not have done?" Colin chuckled while backing away from me. "Are you really going to try and burn my house down because of something so petty?"

"Your house isn't my target. I'm going to burn _you_ down." I swung my arm and his jacket caught fire. He was quick to throw it off of himself and started to laugh.

"Fight fire with fire, ay?" The man was grinning as he flicked his wrist and my pant leg ignited. I ignored it, the flame wasn't burning me so I needn't bother to pay it any mind. "Well, this is a new development." Colin's smile faltered and I socked him in the jaw with a flaming fist, causing him to go crashing through a glass door and onto the back patio.

"Harper, you can't kill him." I heard Michele as I was stepping over broken glass and Colin was trying to set me on fire again. Her tone was more uncaring than concerned.

"And why the fuck not?" I growled, picking up broken metal from the door. Heating up my hand, I melted one end to a sharp point.

"Well, that'd be murder for one thing." She casually said. "But the main issue would be what would Ty think of you killing Colin?" Pausing as I stood over Colin with the makeshift spear raised over my head, I could see the man sweating from the heat I was giving off alone. "He also has to be present at the folkmoot being held."

My face was twisted with anger as I swung the spear down, impaling it into the concrete next to Colin's head. Grabbing his wrist, I raised his arm.

"An eye for an eye, a hand for a hand." My voice dripped with venom and I clapped my hand onto his, burning it from the heat of my skin. I usually despised Glod and her flames, but right now I was thankful for them as they gave me the advantage over this Loki.

Colin screamed in agony and I let go when his hand and forearm were covered in angry blisters and red skin.

~

"Don't ask." I huffed while hurrying past my sister to my room.

"I think I should." She turned on her heel to follow me. "Why are your clothes all burnt and crispy? Did you really walk up here looking like that?" Ash and soot stained my hands as I pulled what was left of my shirt over my head.

"Long story." Tossing my clothes into the little trash bin, I went to my closet to get new clothes.

"You want to elaborate?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Did you know there's going to be a folkmoot?" I asked while sliding on a pair of jeans.

"I do now. Does it have anything to do with why you came home crispier than when you left?"

"Sort of."

~

"So, I guess we're waiting on....Colin, then." Axl nervously shook the sword in his hand as we stood in a clearing out in the woods.

"The accused." Olaf added. Shifting on my feet, I slid my hands into my pockets. A gentle breeze blew past, causing the trees to rustle and creak.

"Well, here's a sorry-ass-looking bunch of gods if I ever saw one." Colin came strolling off of a path with a sword in his good hand. "And keep that flaming bitch away from me. Lord Odin." He politely nodded to Axl.

"Colin." Axl's brows furrowed as he saw the older man's arm wrapped in gauze and a giant bruise on his face where I had punched him. "What happened to you?"

"God names." Olaf reminded his grandson.

"Right. Loki."

"What happened to me is _someone_ couldn't keep a mere demi-goddess on a leash." Colin shot me a dirty look. "Well, let's get this show on the road, then."

"Okay." There was an awkward silence before Axl pulled Olaf towards the puny tent. "One moment." He smiled. They were in there for about a minute before Colin went over to rush them along. "Okay, uh, we are gathered here today....among these trees, to discuss an alleged crime."

"Alleged?" Agnetha gave Axl a look. "He tried to kill another god. I demand justice."

"Loki, you are accused of attempting to take the life of Hodr. Uh, what have you, you know, got to say to this allegation?" Axl pointed with his sword.

"Well, yep, I did it. Cocked it up, clearly, 'cause the bastard's still alive. Disappointing, really." Colin then raised his wounded arm. "However I do believe I've already paid for it, Glod made sure of that. Ridiculous name, though." He said the last part under his breath.

"Oh....right." Axl glanced at me and I just shrugged. "Did you really?"

"I went easy on him, you can thank Michele for that or he would be a pile of ash by now."

"I see...." Axl nodded then looked back to Colin. "Well, I guess you're guilty then. Now, I'm not sure what the traditional punishment is in a case like this."

"Being strung up by your legs with a serpent dripping venom into your eyes for all eternity." Ingrid spoke up.

"Okay, that sounds a bit extreme, and we don't have serpents in New Zealand."

"No, but there's snakes." I popped off while glaring at Colin. Lisa elbowed me in the ribs.

"Death. Death is the only punishment should one god strike down another god." Agnetha spoke, her tone showing how ridiculous she thought it was that Colin wasn't already being given such a sentence.

"Then obviously the same punishment should be meted out to those who slew the goddess Hel and attempted to take me out as well."

"She only did it because you tried to kill me." Ty stated.

"And I only tried to kill you to avenge my daughter. Even to your keen legal mind, my Lord Odin, these crimes need to be rectified as well and actual murder has to be worse than attempted murder." Colin shrugged.

"And we will consider that after you are dead, Loki." Agnetha smirked.

"Hang on, my understanding is that Hel went nutso and ended up killing herself. You have proof otherwise?" Axl furrowed his brows.

"Proof? What exactly is proof?" Colin raised his head.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Agnetha sighed.

"If by proof you mean do I know exactly what happened and how, then, yes, I have proof. My daughter, in every realm, was murdered. And if this folkmoot is to mean anything, it is to hold that god that did do the slaying accountable." The older man waved his sword around while talking. "She was found full of pills and booze, so clearly her killer knew she wasn't averse to that sort of thing." Colin began to walk around, pausing behind Ty for a brief moment before going on. "She then drove her car into a remote bush, stumbled down a path, fell, hit her head on a rock, and drifted off into a hypothermic demise. This is what the mortals believe, and they believe it because it's very plausible." He stopped again between Axl and Olaf this time.

"Too plausible, in fact. Too neat and tidy for a Johnson boy to concoct. Well, no offense, fellas, but you're just not that clever. Here's what I know really happened." Colin continued. "Someone entered Eva's house. That someone smacked her over the head with a rock, plied her full of said pills and booze, and dragged her into Hodr's special place to die. The door was jammed shut. You murdered my daughter, Freyja, out of some perverse attempt to free your son from what you saw as a doomed marriage." Colin now stood behind Agnetha.

"This is more intense than I thought it'd be." Lisa whispered to me.

"I did what I had to do to protect you and love you." Agnetha looked right at Ty. "I'm your mother."

"No. No, you're not. Here you are the goddess Freyja." Ty stated firmly.

"I call for judgment." Colin squared his shoulders after he returned to his original spot.

"Okay."

"And swift and immediate sentencing."

"Okay, the crime of killing another god is pretty much the worst one ever, especially seeing as there aren't many of us." Axl turned to Agnetha as she dropped her gaze. "So....my judgment, as Odin, is that Freyja's punishment shall be....that she must shape-shift back into being a tree for a period of no less....than a mortal life."

"I thank you for your wisdom, my Lord Odin." Agnetha's tone was light, but her eyes were clouded while swirling with emotion.

"What sort of soft-cock solution is that? Why not give her home detention scrub-cutting by the side of the motorway?" Colin raised his voice. "I demand something more in keeping with the crime."

"No. I have decided."

"And your decision is bullshit." Colin then turned to Agnetha. "Oh, screw you. I'll do it myself." He rushed to the woman and swung his sword, but there was a loud clang as Axl intervened with his own blade. As we stood and watched, Axl and Colin commenced in a duel. Metal against metal echoed in the forest until Axl managed to disarm Colin.

"Odin has spoken. It will be done." Axl declared and Colin stormed off. "And Glod, for attacking another god with the intent to kill, I sentence you to....manual labor for a month at Mi- Ullr's bar."

"What?" Mike and I said at the same time while looking at Axl.

"Glod will serve her time as you see fit. Washing tables, serving drinks, whatever."

"Ha!" Lisa laughed at me.


End file.
